Tag / Whiteshell Provincial Park

The woodpecker above  and below is a Downy Woodpecker. It is really difficult for me to distinguish between the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers.  Fortunately, on this January day both were feeding in the same area which made it much easier.  The Hairy Woodpecker is the larger of the two and definitely more skittish than the Downy.  These birds have evolved in such a way that their brains are tightly packed inside their protective cranium which cushions the repeated hammering on trees.  They prop themselves with their tails and have long tongues which they use to get insects out of the small spaces in trees.  If you look at my post on Northern Flickers ( a member of the woodpecker family)  you can see an example of how a bird uses its tongue in search of insects.   The woodpeckers are pretty birds and interesting to watch.

Woodpeckers remain with us through the seasons and will often taken advantage of seed and suet feeders.

Below:  Hairy Woodpecker

Enjoy!

~Sharon

If you ever have the opportunity and some time to spare sit quietly and watch some beavers.  They are often out and about in the late afternoons before dark sets in. They spend a lot of time grooming their beautiful dense fur  releasing oils which keep their bodies dry. Beavers are chatty, social in their family groups, graceful in the water, waddle on land and extremely industrious. They drag limbs of trees through water channels with ease, cut down large trees with expert precision and create small lakes which in turn create habitat for waterfowl by building strategically placed dams (unfortunately not always where people wish to have land flooded).  The following photos were taken in Nopiming & Whiteshell Provincial Parks both of which have healthy populations of beavers. The mother and kit were very interesting to watch swimming together and diving down to get plant roots which they bring to the surface to dine on. Beavers played a major role in Canadian history being the subjects of the fur trade era.

Beavers spend a lot of time grooming their fur.

Their way the  beaver uses its “hands” to grasp branches or food remind me of the racoon – very nimble.

Below:  Beaver dam and lodge.  The water level on the high side was about 4 feet higher than the low side .  These beavers are master builders!

Enjoy!

~Sharon

This is the hydro generating station at Seven Sisters Falls, Manitoba.  This operational station is situated on the Winnipeg River System just outside Whiteshell Provincial Park.  Most of my visits have occured when the waters are  low and the river bed floor is quite visible.  The photos below show the Canadian Shield bedrock that lies below the Winnipeg River System.  We watched a river otter dragging a ling cod that it picked up in one of the pools at the river bed bottom.  The fish was larger than the otter.  Pelicans and Cormorants also sit here for the easy pickings from the small pools.

Below: Facing North East waters heading toward Pinawa, Manitoba

Enjoy!

~Sharon